Ralph Klein in 2006.

Photograph by: Shaughn Butts
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Friday’s death of Ralph Klein was met with an outpouring of tributes to one of the most popular and controversial premiers in Alberta’s history.

Condolences for Klein’s family flooded in from around Alberta and across Canada. Flags were lowered to half-staff at the Alberta Legislature.

“My beloved husband Ralph has slipped away after 42 years of marriage and 70 years of life,” said Colleen Klein in a statement.

“While many will now debate what he stood for, he himself simply believed that public service was important, that it need not be complicated and that it revolved around people.”

Family and close friends were with Klein when he died at a Calgary care centre after weeks of serious illness. His health had been in decline for years. Klein suffered from frontotemporal dementia, complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and, more recently, complications from pneumonia.

Premier Alison Redford and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were among many political leaders to express sadness at the passing of the politician known affectionately as just “Ralph” for the 14 years he was premier, as well as eight years as a flamboyant, folksy and beloved mayor of Calgary.

“When someone like Premier Klein leaves this Earth, we remember what a force of personality, how straightforward he was and we trusted him implicitly,” Redford told reporters.

“When a soul like that is no longer with us, there is a big gap and there will be a hole for some time to come.”

Redford described Klein as “a man of action” and integrity and a “passionate” Canadian.

“At the end of the day, it is his style and approach I will remember,” Redford said.

Condolence books will be set up at the legislature and other government buildings across the province, and an online tribute page (http://alberta.ca/ralphklein.cfm) allows people to share memories, she said.

At the family’s request there will be no state funeral.

Harper said Klein was “a man who believed and did what he said.”

“While Ralph had opponents, he made few personal enemies,” Harper said in a statement. “To me, he wasn’t King Ralph, as some described him. Instead, during a colourful political career he remained Citizen Ralph — a man equally at home in the Petroleum Club as he was in the St. Louis Hotel.”

Klein’s fiscal views — small government and low taxes — were radical at the time, but “it is perhaps his greatest legacy that these ideas are now widely embraced across the political spectrum,” Harper said.

A former TV reporter, Klein hit the political scene in 1980 with a surprise victory in the Calgary mayoral race and proceeded to move aggressively to build the city’s light rail transit system, champion neighbourhoods and the 1988 Winter Olympics and deal with growth pressures in an oil boom that turned to bust in the late 1980s.

Elected to the Alberta legislature in 1989, he became Tory leader in December 1992, succeeding Don Getty as premier. In June 1993, Klein rolled to the first of four massive election victories. His populist approach and direct, personable style captivated the province, though many of his policies were radical and at times he was forced to back down.

While Klein is best known for paying down the debt, he also left a strong legacy on social issues, said Iris Evans, who served in Klein’s cabinet.

Klein created the first ministry of children’s services and increased funding for children with disabilities, said Evans.

“Albertans adored Klein, though they didn’t always agree with him,” she said.

Klein showed “courageous leadership” in his campaign to pay down the province’s debt and reform its finances, said Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith. Those reforms “made Alberta a world leader in fiscal responsibility,” Smith said.

“As a leader, Ralph was tough enough to keep his promises, humble enough to admit his mistakes and disciplined enough to follow through on his vision.”

As premier, Klein implemented a radical shift to the right in politics in a determined campaign to downsize government, bring in a low tax regime that endures today and implement an economic policy that “let the market prevail.” His government slashed spending and laid off thousands of civil servants.

Later, as energy revenues picked up and the government ran with surpluses, Klein brought in a flat tax and handed out $400 cheques so all Albertans could share in the energy wealth. In a bold move, he challenged the Canada Health Act in a failed attempt to bring in private health care.

Klein is also credited with reviving the flagging fortunes of the Progressive Conservative party, which had been in power since 1971 and was dropping in the polls before he became leader.

Marv Moore, who ran all four provincial election campaigns for Klein, admired the former premier for his courage in tackling the toughest issues, most of all paying down the debt.

“We’ve had five premiers in 41 years of Conservative governments and the guy who had the toughest job was Ralph Klein,” said Moore, who served in cabinet in both the Peter Lougheed and Don Getty governments.

Anne McLellan, a former Edmonton Liberal MP and deputy prime minister, played opposite Klein for more than a decade. Though the premier was often skeptical of the federal government, Klein was “respectful” in his dealings, she said.

His pragmatic approach meant the two were able to get a lot of constructive business done, McLellan said. That included the landmark 1996 federal provincial agreement that kick-started the oilsands.

Also, she said, Klein didn’t subscribe to the narrow vision of Alberta that was articulated by some politicians, including a young Stephen Harper, in the famous “firewall letter” that called on Alberta to pull out of some federal programs. Klein repudiated the letter with a bigger vision of province’s role.

Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel said Klein’s passing is “very sad, especially given the difficulties he had with his health.

“He was truly a man of the people and he had great political skills in being able to manage all the factions of the Conservative party,” Mandel said.

Klein created the first multi-year capital spending program for municipalities “at a time when they were desperate,” Mandel said.

Former Conservative cabinet minister Nancy MacBeth praised Klein’s political abilities. She ran against Klein for the leadership of the Conservative party in 1992. In 2001, when MacBeth was Liberal leader, she battled Klein in the provincial election.

“He was a master at communicating with Albertans and he had a degree of political skill that we are unlikely to see again,” MacBeth said.

Rick Orman, a provincial cabinet minister in the 1980s, played the go-between in recruiting Klein to run the Tory party in the 1989 election and he was immediately impressed by Klein’s devotion to public service.

Four men sat down in a downtown Calgary hotel — Orman, Klein, his former TV boss Thompson Macdonald and Klein’s right hand man, Rod Love — to discuss how to bring Klein into the party — a move that had benefits for both sides, recalled Orman.

Klein didn’t ask for a cabinet post or for major concessions at that meeting — though he could have, since “at time he was a giant-killer in Calgary,” recalled Orman.

He just wanted to serve at another level and he “liked the contribution he was making to public life,” said Orman. “That really impressed me.”

On Friday afternoon, deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk spoke fondly of Klein in front of the former premier’s portrait at the legislature.

“This is a very difficult day, not only personally, but for all Albertans and many Canadians,” Lukaszuk said. “Premier Klein will be deeply missed by all of us for many years to come.”

Klein was a man, Lukaszuk said, who said the things no one else would.

“At the end of the day, Canadians said, ‘I’m glad he said that because I always thought that, but never dared to say it out loud.’ ”

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Latest updates

The Prentice government has picked the wrong priorities by boosting money for health ministry communications and strategy at the same time it is cutting funds to deliver care, NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Tuesday. “It’s probably around public relations and affecting people’s opinion,” she said. “To me, that shows a government that is incredibly out of touch of with what Albertans want to see happen in the health system, out of touch with how important this issue is to Albertans and how frustrated they are at the constant reorganization while at the same time the quality of care received becomes less and less reliable every day.”

Lila Lofts’ love affair with her house has lasted longer than her marriage, a near 60-year relationship with the same kitchen cupboards, the same pink bathroom sinks, even the same black-and-white TV set in the basement rumpus room, complete with beige sectional, faux fireplace and wood panelling. The wet bar was moved into the laundry room years ago, since Lofts doesn’t drink. But she remembers the parties and needing all three leaves to expand the dining table for guests.